


Sulfur and Dragonettes

by DaronwyK



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dragons, Established Relationship, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 11:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaronwyK/pseuds/DaronwyK
Summary: Charlie ran away from him once, but Malfoy's are used to getting what they want.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Charlie Weasley
Comments: 16
Kudos: 120
Collections: Astronomy: 2020 Round Three





	Sulfur and Dragonettes

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [TheSlytherinCabal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSlytherinCabal/pseuds/TheSlytherinCabal) in the [DBQ2020Round3](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/DBQ2020Round3) collection. 



> Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me but are the property of J.K.R. and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended. The theme for this round of the competition was Astronomy and my chosen pairing was Draco Malfoy/Charlie Weasley. Comments/Reviews are encouraged by The Slytherin Cabal's Admin Team on all stories in Death By Quill, but comments left by readers are set to be moderated by story authors until the end of the competition in order to protect participants' anonymity. Thank you to my beta for their time and help.

The fundraiser had been old Arneg’s idea. Invite the rich and the bored out to the preserve to try and wrangle some money from them. They needed it to fund some improvements to the research facilities at the dragon colony. Charlie detested these things, mostly because they tended to be full of women that seemed convinced it was their right to hang all over him. It was nearly impossible to escape one of these events without feeling like a piece of meat being eyed by a particularly hungry Horntail.

He tugged a bit at the collar of his dress robes and strode out of his home on the edge of the preserve. All the keepers had their own small house, glorified cabins really, but he never cared too much about its size. All that mattered was that it was his, and he could devote himself to something he truly loved. His feet took him up the worn path, past the rookery, and up to the large flat area they’d set aside for the party. Music was playing and fluttering banner’s declared it: A Night Under the Stars. He mentally snorted at it, but pasted on a smile regardless.

There was a sea of bodies up here, witches and wizards dressed in their very finest. It seemed at odds with the tang of sulfur he could taste on the back on his tongue, impossible to avoid this close to the preserve. He hadn’t seen so many people clustered together since the Victory Gala at the Ministry three years ago. It had been to celebrate the one year anniversary of the defeat of Voldemort. It had also been the last time he’d been home. He sighed, headed to the bar, and resolved to not think about gala and the morning that had followed. It was the one time in his life he’d been a bloody coward.

“Fire whiskey, and make it a double.” Hard liquor was going to be required to get him through tonight.

“I’ll have what he’s having.”

A smooth voice came from just behind Charlie. He didn’t need to turn around to know exactly who it was. That voice brought a rush of emotion and sensory memory back from the recesses of his mind where he’d forcibly shoved it three years ago. He could still remember the way the other wizard’s skin had tasted, and the little sounds he’d made under him. What in the name of Merlin was he doing here?

“You’re a long way from home,” Charlie said and looked to his right as Draco came to lean against the bar beside him, just a little inside his personal space. Not that he minded.

“Sometimes you have to travel to go after the things you want,” Draco said and accepted the tumbler from the bartender. He lifted it to his lips and took a swallow, grey eyes never leaving Charlie’s.

“You should be careful, some things don’t like being chased,” Charlie said, a hint of a smile tugging up the corner of his lips.

“Never had too much sense, or so I’ve been told.” Draco shrugged. “Besides, spending my father’s money always puts a smile on my face, and I hear you’re looking for donors. I could be persuaded to be very generous.”

Charlie flicked his eyes back to the party. “I could give you a more…private tour, if you’d like to see how your money would be put to good use.”

“You just want away from the party.” Draco grinned, but tossed back the drink and nodded. “Lead on, Weasley.”

“Don’t get pushy, Malfoy. Or I’ll feed you to one of your namesakes.” Charlie growled a bit, but they both knew he was just teasing. He liked the arrogant little shit, despite the usual rule about Weasleys and Malfoys being worse than oil and water. He’d met him the first time when he’d been at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. Draco had snuck in close to the dragon pens, and nearly gotten himself roasted alive by the Chinese Fireball. He’d given the boy a tongue lashing that would have done old McGonagall proud, and after a muttered apology he’d given the boy a proper introduction to the beasts. He knew all too well the allure they held.

“I’m named for the constellation, not the beast,” Draco said and fell into step with him. The two wizards skirted the edge of the party and headed back down the worn trail. “Or did you ever actually take an Astronomy lesson?”

“And the stars were named for beast, so…they are your namesake. In a way.” Charlie grinned. “You’re just about as moody as a Hebridean Black, fitting given your mother’s family.”

“You’re almost as much a Black as I am,” Draco said. “And your temper’s no better than mine.”

“It’s an asset working here. Helps if the dragons think I might bite them back.” He grinned and turned toward the Rookery. “One of the females abandoned her nest last week, so we’re going to be hand-rearing them. We need the donations to build better facilities, especially since we’ve had an uptick in abandoned nests over this last few years. Arneg thinks it’s the muggle airplanes that are unsettling them. We need to look at maybe adjusting the wards to ease the stress.”

“How many nests have been abandoned?” Draco asked as they reached the heavy wooden door.

“Four. That means nearly sixty hatchlings that we’ll be trying to manage alone. On average, you’d maybe get a nest abandoned every few years. This increase is worrying,” Charlie said and opened the door and ushered Draco inside. He secured it behind them and took the lead. The narrow corridor was carved into the mountain and eventually opened into a massive open-aired space. Shallow depressions around the perimeter contained nests, covered in a haze of golden light. Above them was the night sky, glittering with stars.

“You can see Draco from here,” Draco said and walked out into the space, his eyes going up to the glittering specks of light.

“This was a nesting site the old dragon breeders used back in the 14th century. We’ve set it up for abandoned nests and orphaned hatchlings. At least it’s going to good use. Some say they chose this place because the constellation is always visible, no matter the time of year. Something about the stars aligning to improve their breeding successes. Hogwash, if you ask me, but some people buy into that astronomy crap.” Charlie came to stand beside him.

“Why did you just leave?” Draco asked, eyes never leaving the night sky. “I woke up and you were gone.”

“You know why I couldn’t stay.” Charlie sighed and closed his eyes a moment. “I have my work and you have responsibilities at home. It would never work.”

“Guaranteed not to, if you don’t even give it a chance.” Draco turned to look at him them. There was anger and hurt in those stormy eyes. “I thought that just maybe, you were the one person who thought I wasn’t just a piece of shit. I guess I was wrong.”

“You’re not a piece of shit, Drake.” Charlie reached out and grabbed his arm before he could turn away. “It’s just complicated. I left home as soon as I finished Hogwarts, for a lot of reasons. I wanted to get away from my family, from the pressure to find a nice witch and settle down. I wanted to follow my own stars, not the ones everyone expected me to. It took a war to drag me home and even then I came reluctantly. They don’t know me, not the real me. I left because I didn’t want them to know. It was never because of you.”

“I broke off my engagement to Astoria,” Draco said. “I told my mother that I wouldn’t bind myself to someone I didn’t care about. She told me to find someone that I do. Whoever that is. So I’m here.”

“People will lose their minds.” Charlie shook his head.

“You like playing with fire.” Draco smirked then.

“This isn’t just fire, little Drake.” Charlie lifted a hand cupped Draco’s cheek. “This could burn everything to ashes, are you really ready for that?”

“Would I be standing here in a pit that stinks of sulfur and dragon shit if I wasn’t?” Draco smirked then. “You wanted to follow your own stars, maybe I could be at least one of them.”

Charlie nodded, just as the sound of crackling came from the nearest nest. A massive smile crossed his face and he took Draco’s hand. “Come on, you won’t want to miss this.” He led him over to the nest, and tugged him down to kneel in the soft earth and mounded leaves and moss that formed the nest. The eggs were hatching.

“What breed are they?” Draco asked, eyes fixed on the cracks in the eggs as the hatchlings began to make their entrance into the world.

“These are Romanian Longhorns,” Charlie said and pulled out his wand, adjusting the temperature of their nest to be more favourable for the newborns. It wouldn’t hurt to leave it alone, but these little guys were incredibly important to the survival of their species. It had been the first successful breeding in the wild in more than twenty years. They’d all been devastated when the queen had abandoned the nest. Still, it was a positive sign.

The first burst free, dark green with tiny little horn bumps over its eyes and on the tip of its nose. It opened its eyes and called loudly, tottering towards Charlie and Draco. Draco was in awe as it walked unsteadily toward them. Charlie took his hand and pressed it through the shimmering barrier. The little dragonette bumped its tiny head against their hands.

“He’s imprinting on us,” Charlie explained. “It helps with the fostering it they see us as their parents, at least at first.”

“How long does it take before they can join the colony?” Draco asked.

“Six months and then we move them to a kind of half-way rookery where they can start to meet the adults. Since you were here when he was born, you can name him,” Charlie said.

“Thuban,” Draco said, grinning as Charlie began to laugh.

“I know my Astronomy is a little rusty, but doesn’t that mean ‘Head of the Serpent’?” Charlie grinned.

“I am a Slytherin.” He grinned as the dragonette began to almost purr, cuddling up against their joined hands.

“Thuban it is.” Charlie leaned over and kissed him softly. “I’ll have to stay, at least until these hatchlings are grown.”

“Portkeys aren’t hard to arrange, and I’d never ask you to leave something you love,” Draco said.

“We’ll work it out.” Charlie rested his forehead against his lover’s. “You know you’re going to have to burn those dress robes?” He smirked. Sulfur tended to linger.

“You’re worth it.” Draco chuckled.

Charlie didn’t know what wrath was going to shake free from the heavens when the truth came out, but they would weather it together. How many nights had his eyes drifted up to the stars, seeking out the familiar constellation that now stood sentinel over them? They were fire and ice, the brightness of a star in the cold dark of space. It wouldn’t be easy, but things worth having never were.


End file.
